South Korea Offers Aid to North to Contain Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak

South Korea has offered aid to North Korea to help with an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in pigs, which would be Seoul's first government-level humanitarian help to Pyongyang since 2010.

The South's Unification Ministry said Monday that the offer includes a proposal to meet with North Korean officials to discuss humanitarian aid.

North Korea's state news agency reported last week that the highly-infectious animal disease had broken out January 8 and is spreading because North Korea has a shortage of disinfectants and preventive medicine.